


Monday

by LeeGale



Series: Ad lunam, ut amica, ut mi stultus [10]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, How Do I Tag, M/M, Mishima is a badass, Pining, Scars, Sorry Not Sorry, he deserves it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24164065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeGale/pseuds/LeeGale
Summary: Mishima's first day back at school after the funeral has a little snag...
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Mishima Yuuki, Kurusu Akira/Mishima Yuuki, Mishima Yuuki/Persona 5 Protagonist, One sided Akechi Goro/Mishima Yuuki
Series: Ad lunam, ut amica, ut mi stultus [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695079
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Monday

The funeral on Sunday passed in a similar manner to the wake, with Boss and Futaba popping by for a few hours before everyone was supposed to meet up, then Kawakami arriving a little while early so she could check on Mishima, the actual event happening then Mishima going to LeBlanc for a while. It was... well, Mishima didn't actually care what it was. He was just glad it was over...

On Monday, he entered school with a small smile. He was finally free of his parents... His smile grew when he saw Akira and Takamaki at his desk, chatting away. He greeted them both quietly, smiling slightly when Akira moved enough to accommodate his stuff without completely getting off of his desk.

"Hey!" Takamaki beamed at the bluenette, who smiled back as he sat down, having unpacked everything he needed for homeroom. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kawakami walking in with someone hot on her tail made him shut up. He blinked in surprise before scowling slightly, but Kawakami told everyone to go to their seats before he could say anything. As Takamaki and Akira left for their seats, Mishima schooled his expression into something more neutral, even as he heard his classmates start to mutter about their surprise guest...

"Quiet!" Kawakami called, rolling her eyes as Akechi smirked next to her, his eyes on Mishima, "I'll do the register, then I have an announcement."

Everyone was quiet as Kawakami did the register, only speaking when they were called on. Mishima couldn't help but feel self-conscious as Akechi stared at him, but he feigned indifference, right until Kawakami finally made her announcement.

"Alright. Everyone, this is Akechi, the detective who has been tracking down the Phantom Thieves. Akechi, this is the class," she stated, tone bored by eyes sharp as she glanced between Mishima and Akechi, having caught onto the detective's gaze, "Class, Akechi is here to take all of your classes today. He will be teaching you on the ins and outs of detective work."

Mishima felt a rush of panic at that, hating the idea of having to spend the day with Akechi, but the older teen in question smiling charmingly and speaking up meant the bluenette didn't have a chance to react.

"Thank you, Ms Kawakami," his voice dripped with charisma as his smile grew slightly. Mishima forced himself not to shiver as Akechi met his eye, completely focused on him as he spoke, "As your teacher stated, I will be taking all of your classes today. I do hope that won't be a bother..."

There was a wave of people muttering about how attractive the detective was, but he only seemed to have eyes for Mishima, who looked through him, just paying enough attention to not get lost but not enough to really let himself be uncomfortable. Akechi obviously didn't like that, so he smiled and called on the bluenette, who instantly focused.

"Mishima, it truly is a pleasure to see you again," the older teen purred, walking between the desks so that he was looking directly down at the bluenette, who forced a smile.

"P... Pleasure to see you again too, Akechi," he muttered, all too aware that his classmates were staring at him. Akechi smirked as he sat on the edge of Mishima's desk (which made a weird rage rise up in the younger teen's chest. Only Akira was allowed to sit there, how dare he-) and spoke again.

"So, Mishima do you know who Freddrick George Abberline is?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Mishima was glad that he'd had such an avid interest in history for so long, correctly stating the Abberline had been the lead investigator in the Jack the Ripper case. Akechi blinked in surprise at the answer before smiling brightly and nodding.

"That is correct!" he declared, eyeing Mishima curiously, "He was one of the most famous investigators in all of English history, due to his involvement in the case. Excellent work, Mishima."

The bluenette shrugged, forcing himself to not flinch away when Akechi placed a hand on his arm. The detective smiled, flirty, but Kawakami cleared her throat and caught his attention.

"Akechi, if you wish to flirt with Mishima, please do not do so when you're supposed to be teaching the class," she stated, voice teasing but something dark, protective flashing behind her eyes. As Akechi apologised and stood, turning from Mishima so that he could walk back to the front of the room, the small bluenette sent his aunt a thankful look. She nodded subtly at him as he relaxed slightly. Akechi talking again set him on edge though.

"Not everything a detective does is as glamorous as the movies would have you believe. For instance, Abberline often found his work ridiculed by his colleagues or others in the field. Does anyone know which of the theories he posited for Jack the Ripper's true identity earned him the most mocking?" the detective said, eyes focused on Mishima once more. The bluenette actually did know the answer, but he preferred not having Akechi's eyes on him... For a long moment, it seemed like no one would answer, but movement in the corner of Mishima's eye caught his attention. Akira had lazily lifted his hand, resting his head on the other as casually as he could. Akechi's eyes flashed with something dark before he smiled and called on Akira, who let his hand fall as he calmly replied.

"Abberline suggested that the killer was, in fact, Jill the Ripper, not Jack. He and his mentor, Dr Thomas Dutton, agreed that a midwife would have been a possible suspect," he explained, smirking slightly when Akechi (begrudgingly) said that he was right. That earned a wave of surprised whispers, all about how smart Akira must be, which annoyed Akechi further. The detective not-so-subtly glared at Akira before forcing himself to smile, speaking again.

"Excellent work! Now, many people still believe in this theory, which leads to my point - for now, we will be discussing how detectives come to the conclusions they make," he said, turning on the temporary projector that was by the front of the room. The screen loaded, showing a description of a fictional crime. Well, supposedly fictional. Akechi claimed it was completely made up, but Mishima knew better. After all, he was called in so that he could help his mother with it... Kawakami seemed to understand as she examined the board, but she couldn't say anything ...

"For our first activity, I have prepared this fake case. I would like you all to get into groups of two to four, read the information, and attempt to reach a conclusion as to who the culprit is," Akechi stated, and Mishima winced. He hated group work, no one ever wanted to work with him, he-

"Yuuki," Akira's sudden voice caught the blue teen's attention, "Would you like to work with Ann and me?"

Mishima blinked in surprise before nodding, smiling slightly as he grabbed his pencil case. Takamaki had turned her chair around so she was facing Akira's desk, so Mishima wasn't sure where he should sit. He didn't want to just take someone else's seat...

Akira sat in his chair but shuffled so he was only half on it before gesturing for Mishima to sit next to him. The bluenette hesitated, but Kawakami calling for everyone to sit made him carefully perch next to Akira. Despite his best efforts, Mishima couldn't help it as he was pressed close to Akira from ankle to shoulder, the chair too small for anything else. Kawakami saw this and smirked, raising an eyebrow that made Mishima's cheeks flush slightly. She didn't ask anything (yet) as she told everyone they had ten minutes to finish the task. Mishima waited until everyone was working before look at Akira and Takamaki respectively, eyes tired.

"It was the father," he whispered, leaning his head against his right hand and covering a yawn with the left. Takamaki raised an eyebrow, visibly confused, so he expanded, "The supposedly fictional case Akechi is using? It's actually the case of Michelle West. I mentioned her that day, after school? She was the girl around our age who was killed and I was called in to help because I knew her."

Takamaki blinked at that, but someone appearing over Mishima's shoulder stopped her from speaking. The bluenette looked over his shoulder, sitting upright when he saw who it was.

"So he's using Michelle's case, huh?" Kawakami asked, glancing at where Akechi was talking to a group near the front of the room. Mishima nodded, and his aunt sighed, rubbing her brow, "And we can't just say anything about it, can we?"

"We shouldn't, no," Mishima replied, sighing too. Akira and Takamaki looked very confused, so he sighed again before explaining, "Miss Kawakami was friends with Michelle's mother, and was the one who reported her father when she found a bloody knife at his home. She helped wrap up the case."

Akira frowned at that before nodding, but there was something dark behind his eyes... Kawakami sighed before telling the group that she needed to move on, and they all fell silent. It stayed like that for a tedious time, all three teens angry at Akechi for using Michelle as an example... The detective himself eventually called for everyone to stop, smiling brightly.

"Well done. I didn't manage to get around to everyone, I'm afraid, but I hope you all managed to come to a conclusion," he stated, tilting his head to the side as his eyes glued themselves to Mishima, "Now, I will ask one person from each group to tell me who your group thinks was the culprit."

Akechi did as he said, asking one person per group. Almost every group before Mishima's (since Akechi saved them for last) said they believed 'Katsuki Takashi' (who was a substitute for Yoshimura Uta, who the police had originally suspected before Kawakami found that damning piece of evidence). Except for one group, who claimed the most likely suspect was... the coroner's son, who was called onto the case because he personally knew the victim. Although he knew that the group didn't know that the person they blamed was technically  _ him _ , Mishima still felt a sharp stab of betrayal. They did put forward a good case, and the bluenette could see why they could blame 'him' but it still hurt...

When Akechi finally got to their group, he asked Mishima. With a defiant glare, the bluenette replied, his eyes showing that he knew what Akechi had done as he stated, "It was the father."

"Would you like to expand on that?" Akechi asked, smirking slightly, and Mishima's blood boiled. He managed to hide his feelings though, forcing himself to smile slightly.

"The knife is an obvious clue. No one keeps a bloody knife in their kitchen drawer - he would have washed it if he'd been cooking like he claimed. It couldn't have been the coroner's son or Katsuki Takashi who killed the victim, as neither fit the profile that would have been created based on the wound. The wound must have been inflicted by someone left-handed, approximately 6ft1, and very strong, judging the angle and depth of the wound. The coroner's son would have been too short - he wasn't even 5ft5- and not strong enough to do as much damage as needed for the wound, and Katsuki couldn't have been either because he was right-handed only and closer to 6ft7 than 6ft1. That means that neither of them could have been the killer. The only other suspect on the list is the victim's father, who fits the description that can be created based off of the wound, had a knife matching the kind that caused the wound -which was covered in blood and hidden, which raises suspicions- and had a possible motive," Mishima explained, voice steady as he glared Akechi down. The detective raised an eyebrow, smirking, but his expression darkened when Akira visibly rested his hand against Mishima's shoulder. The bluenette smiled slightly up at his crush, reassuringly, before Akechi speaking stole his attention.

"What possible motive would the own victim's father have?" he asked, glaring at Akira before smiling at Mishima. The bluenette raised an eyebrow, silently telling him that he wasn't being subtle, before sighing and replying.

"His wife was dying, as shown by the doctor's list which states that she had a stage five tumour in her skin, and she planned on leaving everything equally to her child and him. He was bound to get something when his wife died, but he wanted more than his fair share. He was proven to be materialistic through his various recepts -almost all of which brought something expensive and wasteful. All except one, at least, which brought a brand new knife set which fit the knife found in his drawer and the probable weapon- which would give him a reason to want everything his wife left. He was also hinted at being abusive towards his daughter already, as shown by the various injuries and scars the victim was littered with, many of which were too old to have been inflicted by Katsuki, who had only known the victim for a few months before her death. This leads to a fairly simple conclusion - the father was the murderer." Mishima explained, smirking when Akechi seemed to lose his cool for a split second. The detective got himself back under control and smirked back, moving over to the laptop he had connected to the projector.

"Well, everyone, I have something I need to tell you," he stated, smile still in place as he clicked onto the next slide, which had all of the actual information from Michelle's case, "The case I just gave you was based on something that really happened, just a year ago. And out of all of the suspects, the correct answer was... The father! Mishima's analysis was spot on, and he got all of the facts correct."

Mishima glared at the detective, one of only three students who weren't surprised by the reveal. Akechi's smirk grew, and Mishima felt his heart freeze. That look did not bode well-

"How about you don't use any more real cases, Akechi? We wouldn't want to upset anyone," Kawakami piped up, sending Mishima a discrete look. The teen nodded at her, reassuring her that he was okay as Akechi agreed and started to go into detail on criminal profiling...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

By the time lunch rolled around, Mishima was exhausted. Akechi had called upon him at every chance he got, constantly pressing his buttons. He even had the audacity to drag Mishima, Akira and Takamaki into a fake crime scene! Mishima sighed, rubbing at his brow as he returned to his desk to grab his bag. As he did, he was accosted by the one person he wanted to avoid...

"Mishima!" Akechi called, smiling as he made his way over to the blue teen, who had stiffened at his name, "I was wondering if you'd like to eat lunch together?"

Mishima hesitated, too tired to really want to bother with Akechi's advances but too polite (read: anxious) to cause a scene, but Kawakami walking over distracted the detective.

"Mishima, Kurusu and Takamaki are waiting for you. They mentioned something about helping someone with something?" she half-lied, shrugging slightly. Mishima smiled gratefully at her before focusing on Akechi.

"I... I'm so sorry! We... We agreed to help a few classmates out with studying! I have to go!" he lied too, forcing himself not to flinch when Akechi placed a hand on his arm. The detective pouted slightly, tilting his head to the side as he spoke.

"Really? That's a shame... I was hoping we could get to know each other better..." he stated, voice sounding, surprisingly, genuinely disappointed. Of course, Mishima knew that he wasn't really, so he shrugged and left with a quick goodbye, smiling when he got to where Akira and Takamaki were waiting for him by the door. As soon as the door was shut behind them and they were far enough away, Mishima groaned, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to stave off his encroaching headache.

"Akechi was a little... intense..." Takamaki commented as she led them to what had become their little group's lunch spot. Mishima groaned again before yawning widely, covering his mouth before moving his hand to the strap of his bag. Akira hummed in agreement. The trio stayed silent for the rest of the walk, Mishima slightly slower than normal, his feet dragging as he suppressed another yawn. Akira seemed to pick up on that, slowing down so he and Mishima were walking at the same pace. The smaller teen sent him a tired smile before forcing back yet another yawn.

"Are you okay?" Akira asked softly, and Mishima sighed, shrugging, muttering about how he was just tired. Akira frowned, looking like he wanted to press, but they arrived before he had the chance to. Mishima sent him a small, reassuring smile as he moved to his usual spot, dropping his bag and leaning against his little nook. With another yawn, he took his lunch from his bag (he'd remembered to bring his own for once! Although, some small part of him couldn't help but worry that he'd get into trouble for it...) and settling properly. As he ate, he didn't really pay much attention to the conversation going on around him, too tired to actually care...

"Yuuki?" Akira's quiet voice caught Mishima's attention, drawing the smaller teen from the sleepy daze he'd been eating in. Akira looked very concerned, and a glance around the group told Mishima that everyone else was wearing matching expressions.

"Did I miss something?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Akira's frown deepened as he carefully reached up, moving slowly so that Mishima could stop him. The bluenette didn't, rather leaning into the hand Akira placed on his cheek, too tired to hide how much he liked the touch as a sigh escaped his lips and his eyes slipped shut. With his eyes shut, he couldn't see how everyone reacted to what he did, although he did hear a few surprised noises. He stayed like that, leaning into Akira's hand, until Akira moved said hand and brought him back to the world of the living. Blinking sleepily, he tilted his head and suppressed another yawn. Akira frowned again, leaning forward as he examined Mishima.

"Why are you so tired?" the taller teen's voice was nothing short of soft, and Mishima felt like he could just melt into a sleeping puddle right there... Instead, he mumbled some excuse about not sleeping well recently, which just made Akira frown deeper. The other boy seemed to hesitate before carefully pulling at Mishima's shoulders. Pliant, the bluenette let Akira place his head in his lap, sighing slightly when Akira started to play with his hair.

"Have a nap," Akira whispered, and Mishima hummed in agreement. A part of him screamed that it was risky to sleep around the others, but it was quickly muffled by a combination of how tired he was and his faith that Akira would keep him safe...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

When the end of lunch bell rang, Mishima woke up with a start. The sudden noise set him on edge as he looked around wildly. His heart was hammering his chest and his mind was full of scenarios, either what could have happened or how he could get away from the threat-

"Hey, hey, Yuuki. It's okay. It was just the bell. It's okay," Akira's voice cut through the fog clouding Mishima's mind, reminding him that he was at school, that he'd just taken a nap. That his parents weren't there, they couldn't hurt him, he was safe... The bluenette took a moment to calm his breathing, flinching when someone touched him only to realise it was Akira and relax. It took a couple more minutes, but Mishima was eventually calm enough to send the rest of the group a reassuring -if shaky- smile.

"I'm fine," he rasped, forcing his smile to look more natural when Niijima raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "The bell just startled me. But I'm fine."

Niijima opened her mouth, probably to argue, but Sakamoto piped up first, his voice a little quieter than normal as he spoke, "Dude, you kept making weird noises. Like, groans and shit..."

Mishima forced himself to smile, even as the last remnants of his dream jumped to the forefront of his mind. He shrugged, only speaking when Sakamoto continued to frown.

"It was just a bad dream, Sakamoto. I'm fine," he stated, clearing up his stuff and grabbing his bag as he stood quickly, his faux smile a little tense, "Shouldn't we get back to class?"

Sakamoto looked like he wanted to argue, but Akira standing and agreeing made him shut up. The blond hesitated before sighing and standing too, muttering about how he was just worried. Mishima's heart warmed a little at that, and his smile became a little more real.

"I'm fine Sakamoto. Really," he repeated, his entire demeanour genuine. Sakamoto didn't seem to quite believe him, but Niijima insisting they hurry to class made him shut up. Everyone hurried to get sorted so they could leave, and Mishima led Akira and Takamaki back to their class. The trio were completely silent as they walked, right until they got to the classroom door and Mishima groaned at the words on the board.

"What is it?" Takamaki asked, leaning around the bluenette to see into the room. She raised an eyebrow as she and the boys walked in, heading to their desks. Mishima fell into his chair, not bothering to unpack his stuff because, as the board said, he wouldn't be there long... Once all of the students were sat, Kawakami took the register again before letting Akechi take the floor. The detective smirked, eyes on Mishima as he spoke.

"As you can all see, we will be spending the rest of your classes working on basic hand-to-hand combat skills. A good detective must always be able to protect themself from any potentially dangerous suspects they come across, thus I will teach you all the basics of combat training. In order to do so, we will be going outside. Is everyone ready to leave?" he said, earning a wave of surprise and excitement from most of the students in the class. Mishima was... less than happy with the idea, already aware that Akecho would use it as an excuse to touch him... He was pulled from his thoughts by everyone else standing up. Copying them, he grabbed his bag and followed his classmates out of the room, although he made sure to linger near the back. He was soon joined by Akira and Takamaki as they trailed behind the group...

"First of all, does anyone here have any form of combat training? Be it a martial arts style, boxing or anything of the like?" Akechi asked once the group had arrived at the spot he wanted to use and left their bags by a cluster of trees. No one lifted their hands, not even Mishima, for a long moment. Not until Ito (the bastard that had insulted Akira that time, who'd tried to punch Mishima) lifted his hand. Akechi called upon him, and he glanced over his shoulder, smirking.

"I'm pretty sure Mishima has some training," he stated, his smirk growing when Akechi focused on Mishima. The bluenette wanted to hide, but he stood tall. Akechi opened his mouth to say something, but Kawakami spoke up first.

"Mishima was a part of the boxing team, back before he was a part of volleyball, so he does have some training," she said, oblivious as to how that little bit of information being told made Mishima feel...

"In that case... Will you be my assistant, Mishima?" Akechi asked. The bluenette hesitated, uncomfortable with the idea of Akechi touching him... He knew that if he said no, though, Akechi would make a scene... Sighing, he unhooked his suspenders and passed them to Akira, walking quickly through the crowd. Akechi smirked, shrugging off his jacket. Mishima rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the way he then tugged his shirt off.

"It's the best way to make sure neither of us overheats. Don't you agree?" the detective's smirk grew because Mishima knew he was right... The bluenette still hesitated, until Akira and Takamaki walked to the front of the group. They both smiled reassuringly at him, so he sighed and tugged his shirt off too, passing it to Akira for safekeeping. He ignored how there was a wave of gasps (probably a reaction to his scars...), moving so he and Akechi were face to face.

"We should warm up first," the smaller teen stated before starting to stretch, watching as Akechi copied him. They warmed up for a few minutes, stretching so that they wouldn't damage or pull any muscles before Akechi called for them to stop. He smirked at Mishima before turning to the class.

"To start with, we will just run through some basic moves. Mishima will go on defence whilst I will go on offence," he explained before turning back to Mishima and gesturing that they were starting. Mishima nodded, falling into a simple defence stance and watching Akechi closely. The detective made the first move, a quick jab to Mishima's left side that the smaller dodged easily. Next, Akechi tried to go for a right hook, but Mishima managed to block the hit before dancing backwards, out of Akechi's reach. Something dark started to swim in Akechi's eyes, and he started to put a little more power behind his hits. A swift kick led to Mishima ducking. An uppercut led to Mishimagrabbing Akechi's fist and throwing it away, moving quickly to avoid the kick Akechi then aimed at his stomach. A knee to Mishima's gut was dodged with precision... The hits kept coming, but Mishima managed to block or dodge all of them, slowly riling Akechi up. The detective got so mad that he feigned a punch at Mishima's face before trying to kick out his legs. Of course, the bluenette managed to dodge that too, reflexively hooking his leg around Akechi's and knocking him to the ground, landing on him to stop him from getting up. Akechi blinked up at Mishima, surprised, as he kept him pinned. It was silent for a long moment until someone cheered, and Mishima realised what had actually happened. He blushed, standing quickly and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Akechi didn't move for a long second, only stared up at Mishima, but moved when the blue teen offered him a hand up. He smirked as he let Mishima pull him to his feet, steadying himself with a hand on Mishima's chest. The bluenette froze at the touch before pulling away, smiling shyly. Akechi frowned but, for once, didn't press, smiling slightly.

"Excellent work, Mishima!" he praised, and Mishima flushed slightly. He may not have liked Akechi, but he would never not fluster at a compliment... The detective continued by suggesting they both have a drink before helping the other students in Mishima's class warm-up and start teaching them. Mishima agreed, ready to head to his bag to grab a drink. However, he was stopped by Takamaki stepping forward, holding out a bottle.

"Akira grabbed this from your bag and put your top and suspenders in it," she explained, smiling slightly. Mishima blinked in surprise, taken aback by the kind action, before smiling at Akira, who stood a few paces behind Takamaki. He thanked the blond, taking the bottle and opening it quickly. Bringing it to his lips, he tilted his head back and took a few long gulps, only stopping when he'd managed to down half of the bottle. When he was done, he saw several people (including Akira and Akechi...) watching him with flushed cheeks. He tilted his head to the side, frowning minutely, but Akira clearing his throat and stepping forward stopped him from asking any questions.

"You did good," he stated, voice a little lower than normal. Mishima felt a rush of...  _ something  _ at the praise, but forced that down as he blushed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. He mumbled something about just having a lot of training before suggesting Akira and Takamaki start on their warm-up. They both agreed, falling into different stretches. Mishima nearly cringed at the lunge Takamaki was in, sighing before giving her a couple tips on how to improve her form. She tilted her head curiously for a second before doing as Mishima said, smiling when she realised that it was a better stretch. The bluenette nodded before his attention was stolen by Akira, who had started a lunge too. And damn, that ass...

"Mishima!" Kawakami calling the bluenette caught his attention, pulling him from his thoughts as he forced himself to focus on her. She gestured for him to go to her, so he walked over. Akechi was there, smiling charmingly, but Mishima paid him no mind as Kawakami began to speak, "Would it be possible for you two to work in two groups? You can take half of the class each and teach them."

Mishima felt his anxiety peak at the idea of teaching half of the class, but Akechi had already agreed, so he forced himself to calm down and nod. Kawakami smiled slightly at him before calling everyone to her. Mishima went to move to the side, but Akechi stopped him with a hand on his arm. The blue teen tensed but played it off with a smile as Kawakami began to speak to the class.

"For the rest of the day, you will be split into two groups. Akechi and Mishima will run one group each, and you will listen to them. If you don't, you will be sent to the principal's office. Do you understand?" there was a wave of agreement, so Kawakami nodded and started to split the class into two groups. Once she was done, Mishima was glad to find that both Akira and Takamaki were in his group. After that was done, Kawakami told Akechi and Mishima to lead their groups. Without a second thought, Mishima led his group to a spot near the tree line. He could feel his heart rate pick up exponentially, but pretended he was fine as he started to speak.

"O... Okay, first I... I'm going to lead you in some basic stretches before teaching you a few basic moves," he stated, starting when everyone agreed. At first, he just led the group in a simple stretch routine, showing them what he wanted them to do twice before telling them to continue until he told them to stop. After that, he walked between everyone, correcting the occasional stance and planning what he could teach the group. He hadn't expected to have to show them anything... After coming up with a basic plan, he returned to the front of the group, smiling and calling for them to stop. After letting them have a breather, he spoke again, "We... We'll start with a pretty basic defensive manoeuvre. It's completely fine if any of you struggle since you're only learning now, for the first time. I... if you're having a particularly hard time, you may ask either myself or the person next to you, if they are doing well."

There was a wave of agreement at that, so Mishima nodded and started to show them the first move. It was a basic move for if someone came up behind you and wrapped their arms around you, but everyone seemed to be struggling to really understand the move. After a moment of consideration, Mishima called for everyone to stop.

"Alright. So you guys can better understand the move, I need a volunteer," he stated, blinking in surprise when pretty much everyone asked to help. He hesitated for a moment before calling on Akira, smiling when the taller teen stepped forward before focusing on the rest of the group, "I'm going to have Akira -uh, Kurusu grab me from behind then show you how the move is done a few times."

He then nodded before turning ninety degrees so that the group could see what he did from the side. Looking over his shoulder, he told Akira to grab him around the shoulders. The taller teen did so, and Mishima took a grounding breath before speaking, ignoring how his heart was thumping in his chest.

"Alright. If someone comes behind you like this, your primary goal should be getting them off of you. If using the technique I just showed you, it should look like...  _ this _ ," he then grabbed the arm that was holding him, twisting it and pulling it close to his chest as he shoved his hips backwards, leaning as far forwards as he could. The move forced Akira off his balance, and he flipped over Mishima's back smoothly, his arm still caught in Mishima's grip. The bluenette used his hold on said arm to force Akira to stay down, pushing down with the arm twisted behind Akira's back. Everyone was silent for a moment as Mishima let go, helping Akira up. The former smiled softly at his crush, muttering a quiet word of praise before focusing on the rest of the group.

"That was the move done in real-time. Now, we'll show you how it's done step by step," he stated, gesturing for Akira to return to his starting pose. They both moved so that Akira had his arm around Mishima's shoulder again, stood so everyone could see them from the side.

"First, you grab your attackers arm," Mishima did as he said, slowly showing his group what to do, "then you twist it. This forces them to let go of your clothes and makes it easier for you to pull them off. Next, you pull their arm as close to your chest as you can, this makes it easier to overbalance them when you perform the next move, which is forcing your hips back and leaning as far forward as you can. You need to bend your spine and curl in on yourself. Tuck your head into your chest. The combination of knocking them off-balance, the pressure from your hips and the curve of your spine will force them over you, and flip them onto their back. If you keep a hold of their arm, you can use that to keep them on the ground."

He ended his demonstration with Akira on the ground. Taking a moment to breathe, he helped Akira up and looked around the group. Everyone seemed to understand but were unsure as to how they could actually learn the move. Taking a moment to consider the options, Mishima sighed and reached a decision.

"Everybody, partner up," he ordered, watching as everybody rushed to find a partner. To his surprise, Takamaki partnered up with one of the other girls in their class, not with Akira. Which left Akira as the only person without a partner... Once everyone was partnered up, he spoke again, "Alright, everyone pick one of you to be partner A and one to be B."

There was a moment of noise as Mishima turned to Akira. They discussed it and decided that Mishima would be A and Akira would be B, then the bluenette turned to everyone else.

"As, you will be the attacker. Bs, you will be the victim. Don't worry, I will tell you to switch when it's time," he called, before telling everyone to start. He then turned to Akira, smiling slightly. The taller teen smiled back before turning around. Mishima hesitated before grabbing Akira around the shoulder (it was a little difficult because he was shorter, but he managed) and waiting for the other to start on the move. As soon as Akira grabbed his arm, he prepared himself for what was to come. At least, he thought he did. He had somehow forgotten that this action would lead to Akira's (delectable, round, perfect) ass being pressed against his groin... Being flipped over forced Mishima to leave his mind, cutting off any dirty thoughts he was having. He stared up at Akira for a long moment, freezing when he saw the proud, self-satisfied grin that decorated the taller boy's face. It was a good look... Mishima forced himself not to go down that route as he took the hand that Akira offered him, standing so quickly he listed forward. Thankfully, Akira was right there and seemed to have no qualms about Mishima placing a hand on his chest to steady himself. Mishima gazed up at his crush for a long moment before forcing himself to pull away, cheeks alight as he feigned a confident smile.

"Good job, A... Akira!" he praised, blinking in surprise when a light pink dusted Akira's cheeks. They gazed at each other for a long moment, only looking away when someone laughed loudly. They both looked towards the source of the noise, catching sight of Takamaki and the girl she'd partnered with in a pile on the floor. Mishima rolled his eyes before looking back up at Akira, shrugging.

"I need to help those two," he sighed, tone fondly exasperated, "Do you want to come with?"

Akira nodded, and the pair walked over to where Takamaki and her partner (Aki, if Mishima remembered correctly) were still laid down.

"Everything okay here?" Akira asked, tone teasing. He seemed ignorant to the way Aki tensed at the sight of him, but Mishima knew better. He could see how Akira's jaw tensed and how the taller teen shrank in on himself minutely. He didn't get the chance to do anything, though, since Takamaki jumped to her feet and pulled Aki up too.

"I accidentally overbalanced when trying to flip Aki, that's all!" she grinned, expression so genuine that Mishima had to believe her. He couldn't fight the small chuckle that escaped him as he shook his head, unusually affectionate.

"Try again," he told the blond, smiling slightly. Takamaki nodded and moved, allowing Mishima to see her side profile as Aki got into position behind her. The girls started to do the move, but Mishima stopped them before they could, "Your issue is your stance, Takamaki. You need to make yourself lower and widen your legs. They should be shoulder-width apart, not in line with your hips."

Takamaki adjusted her stance accordingly before attempting to flip Aki again. This time, she managed to do so without falling over too, so Mishima smiled proudly at her.

"Good! Remember to keep your stance in mind whenever you get caught in a fight - a good stance can keep you on your feet even if you get hit hard, but a weak one can knock you down even if you're the one who throws the punch," he stated. Takamaki smiled and nodded, so he told her and Aki to keep it up before leading Akira back to the front of the group. Although it would definitely cause him an  _ issue _ , the bluenette smiled up at his taller friend and spoke quietly, "Do you want to go again?"

It was only once the words were out of his mouth that Mishima realised just how flirty they were, but Akira didn't seem to notice, just agreeing and getting into position. Mishima let Akira flip him three more times, each time ignoring how Akira's body felt pressed against his, but he eventually had to stop. If he didn't, he really would have had a big issue...

"Alright, you did amazing!" he praised, once again surprised by the light pink blush that dusted Akira's cheeks. He didn't know why Akira blushed like that (maybe he was unused to such compliments? Or maybe he was unused to any that were so genuine?) but it was a really good look, and he wanted to see it more... Ignoring those thoughts, Mishima spoke again, "I need to check how everyone else is doing, and when I'd be the one flipping you, I'm going to check then too. Is that okay?"

Akira nodded, following Mishima as he started to walk between the different pairs. He stopped here and there, adjusting the odd stance or technique, before returning to the front of the group. He let everyone have a couple more goes before telling everyone to switch. As soon as he did, everyone changed and he got back to helping out. He walked a circuit of all the pairs twice before returning to the front. He was silent as he watched over his group, eyes sharp and ready to pick up on the smallest mistake...

"You're a good teacher, Yuuki," Akira suddenly spoke up, catching Mishima's attention. When the small teen registered his crush's words, he blushed brightly and ducked his head, mumbling shyly. That drew a fond chuckle from Akira, and Mishima felt his heart stop. Akira was... His laugh was breathtaking. Light and airy, soft and quiet, it was a beautiful, rare sound that Mishima just wanted to bottle up and protect forever... He looked up at Akira, who was smiling tenderly, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Akira looked so... stunning, at that moment, and Mishima was stuffed with so much love he could barely breathe. He- he was staring, he had to stop. He looked away, shrugging and muttering that Akira didn't need to lie. That made the taller teen sigh, but he didn't argue, preferring to lean across and rest against Mishima's side. It made the bluenette tense, unsure how to react with Akira being so... affectionate. It was okay at LeBlanc, since that was a safe place, but at school? Where there were lots of bullies? That... Mishima couldn't believe that Akira was okay with being this close to  _ him _ of all people in a potentially dangerous environment. And Akira usually kept his affections to the boundaries of LeBlanc, so why was he suddenly so comfortable using Mishima as a leaning post? What had changed- 

Mishima had slept with his head in Akira's lap. That's what had changed. The bluenette had let Akira be affectionate at lunch. Was... Was it possible that Akira had been holding back, unsure what Mishima would allow him? And that sleeping on him had shown Akira that Mishima was okay with affection? Well, Mishima says  _ 'affection'  _ but it's more of a platonic thing... right? Yeah, it had to be. There was no way Akira wanted more than that. He was just touch-starved, nothing-

"Is this okay?" Akira whispered into Mishima's ear, oblivious as to how the brush of air against the sensitive skin made Mishima feel. The bluenette forced himself not to react as he relaxed, turning his head to smile slightly at Akira.

"Yeah, you just... startled me a little, that's all," he muttered back, barely able to suppress the love that threatened to burst from his heart. Akira didn't look convinced, but he didn't press, just nodding and leaning a little more against Mishima. The smaller teen felt like he just may have exploded from the contact, so only let the exercise continue for a few more minutes before calling for everyone to stop. Once they did, Akira moved away, standing closer to Takamaki. Mishima felt bereft without his warmth, but shoved that away as he spoke.

"Good job everybody! For the rest of the lesson, we will be focusing on aiming for a potential attacker's weak spots..."

-=-=-=-=-=

After the final bell finally rang, Mishima made his way over to his bag, more than ready to finally put his top back on. Once he had done so, though, he was ambushed.

"Mishima," Akechi greeted, smiling appealingly, "I was wondering... would you care to spend some time together? I know a wonderful little place we could go to for dinner..."

Mishima yawned then before smiling apologetically and replying, "Sorry, I have plans today."

"Oh? And what would they be?" Akechi pressed, stepping into Mishima's personal space. The bluenette had to stop himself from flinching away and was cut off before he could reply.

"Are you ready to go, Yuuki?" Akira asked, suddenly appearing behind Akechi. Mishima sent him a small, fond smile and nodded before focusing on Akechi.

"Akira and I are hanging out for the afternoon," he half-lied, shrugging and apologising again. It wasn't a total lie in the sense that they would be hanging out, but it would only be as Mishima worked at LeBlanc. The teen didn't want Akechi to know exactly what he was going to be doing at the cafe, preferring he didn't have even more chances to be creepy... 

"I see," Akechi smiled, the expression as fake as everything else he did, "Well, I do hope we can hang out some other time... In the meantime, may I please have your phone number?"

Mishima considered saying no, but he knew that Akechi wouldn't give up he until he got his number... With a sigh, he asked for Akechi's phone. The detective actually  _ beamed  _ at that, pulling his phone out of his jacket, unlocking it and passing it to Mishima. The bluenette typed his number in quickly, handing the phone back with a forced smile. Akechi looked... genuinely happy to have his number, which just seemed weird to Mishima. However, the bluenette didn't press, saying goodbye before turning to Akira and asking if he was ready to leave. The taller teen nodded, casually placing a hand on Mishima's shoulder as they walked away. Mishima blushed slightly but brushed it off as Akira just being friendly. Wordlessly, they walked to the train station, only speaking when Mishima had to buy a ticket to get the train. They then waited for the train, still silent until Mishima finally spoke up.

"I... Uh about at lunch..." he muttered, voice barely audible over the hubbub of the station. Akira leaned down and closer to hear better, and Mishima's heart was in his throat. He wasn't quite sure what to say, but he knew he had to say  _ something _ , so he forced himself to continue, "I... Uh... Sorry for falling asleep on you... I... If I overstepped and boundaries-"

"I'm the one who pulled you onto my lap and told you to sleep. You have nothing to apologise for, and if either of us overstepped any boundaries, it was me," Akira cut him off firmly, a slight crease in his brow. Mishima blinked in surprise before smiling and saying that Akira hadn't done anything wrong. That seemed to calm the taller teen, and they fell silent again. Their silence lingered until they actually got on the train and found themselves pushed chest to chest, unable to move as they were surrounded. Mishima felt his heartbeat race, uncomfortable with being enclosed by so many people, especially considering he couldn't see the exit. His breathing picked up slightly, and his mind began to scream at him, begging him to get off, to get to safety, to-

"Are you okay?" Akira whispered right into the bluenette's ear, which thoroughly distracted him for a split second. At least, until he was shoved by someone behind him. He almost overbalanced and was only kept upright by Akira suddenly grabbing his waist, steadying him. Mishima looked up, blushing, and Akira pulled his hands away like he'd been burnt, looking down and off to the side, a surprising pink dusting his cheeks... He repeated his question, and Mishima hesitated before replying.

"I... Just... Crowds..." he muttered, and Akira nodded. He seemed to pause before leaning forward slightly.

"Hold onto me. If you'd like," he whispered into Mishima's ear, and the bluenette had to fight the shiver that threatened to reveal how much the brush of Akira's breath against his skin affected him. He then hesitated, unsure as to if he should take Akira up on his offer... Someone pushing Akira closer to him made up his mind. He reached around Akira, gripping the back of his jacket tightly and ducking his head so his forehead was against Akira's chest, shutting his eyes and focusing on Akira's heartbeat. It sounded a little fast... Akira seemed to hesitate, and that split-second of indecision made Mishima regret his actions. He started to pull away, an apology on the tip of his tongue, but Akira pulled him back into his chest, arms around his shoulders, before he had the chance to get too far. Mishima's heart skipped a beat but he relaxed, focusing solely on Akira. Everything from his warmth and heartbeat to his smell and the feeling of his arms, Mishima soaked it up, using it to distract himself from the anxiety that threatened to pull him under... They stayed like that until they got to their stop, when Akira slowly pulled away. Mishima copied him begrudgingly, his cheeks aflame but his chest warm. Again, they were silent as they walked, but Mishima couldn't help but realise that they were... closer. So close, in fact, that their hands kept brushing... Mishima was overcome with the sudden urge to grab Akira's hand, and he nearly did, the only thing stopping him from doing so was his own anxiety...

"Hey," Boss greeted when they finally arrived, smiling slightly, "Mishima, go dump your things in Akira's room. You can start your shift after."

The blue teen in question nodded, heading up to Akira's room after the taller teen. Once they were both up there, Mishima moved to the sofa and put his stuff down, turning to leave after he was done. However, he was stopped by a visibly troubled Akira. The taller teen stood between Mishima and the stairs, frowning as he eyes the smaller curiously. Mishima felt his cheeks heat up, but ignored that in favour of asking Akira what was wrong. The taller teen seemed to deliberate for a moment before sighing, his frown still in place as he replied.

"When you sparred with Akechi, and took your top off... I was wondering about your scars-"

Mishima felt a rush of panic at the mention of his scars. He wasn't ashamed of them -he'd had at least a few for as long as he could remember- but the thought of someone finding out where they were from? It terrified him, so he cut Akira off with a quick, "Please don't ask."

Akira frowned and stepped forward, reaching out carefully. Mishima was completely still as the taller teen gently held his arm, his thumb rubbing small, soothing circles as he spoke quietly, "I wasn't going to. I just wanted you to know that... I'm here. if you ever want to talk about it. I should have told you that when I first saw them, when we were in Hawaii, but we weren't as close then so... Just... Know I'm here. If you want to talk about anything."

Mishima blinked in surprise, staring at the top of Akira's head since the other was busy looking down at his wrist. Several emotions welled up in the bluenette, and he had to force the tears that suddenly overwhelmed him own. Taking a shaky breath, he lifted his free arm and rested his hand on top of Akira's hand, smiling slightly when the taller teen looked up at him.

"Thank you," he whispered, the words holding so much more emotion than Akira could understand, "I... The same goes for you."

Akira smiled at that, something small and precious and entirely new... The boys stayed like that, gazing at each other, for a long moment. They only broke apart when Boss called up the stairs, telling Mishima to borrow one of Akira's t-shirts so that his school top wouldn't get messy. The boys jumped away from each other at the sound of the man's voice before looking back at each other and laughing slightly. The heavy atmosphere that had befallen them passed as Akira grabbed Mishima a t-shirt, turning to let the bluenette change in peace. Mishima did so quickly, leaving his school top with his bag before hesitating at the top of the stairs. He glanced at Akira, who was already looking at him, and looked away shyly. He waited, wanting to say something, but Boss calling again made him go down to the cafe...


End file.
